Apparatus for opening and partially erecting folded and collapsed cartons

ABSTRACT

A FLAT BLADE ELEMENT IS RECIPROCATED INTO AND OUT OF FOLDED, COLLAPSED CARTONS POSITIONED ENDWISE RELATIVE TO THE FORWARD END OF THE BLADE ELEMENT. THE BLADE, IN ADDITION TO RECIPROCATION, IS ADAPTED TO ROTATE SELECTIVELY ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A TORSIONAL BIASING FORCE AND A CAM FOLLOWER. THE CAM FOLLOWER RIDES OVER A LINEAR CAM SURFACE ON THE OUTWARD STROKE OF THE BLADE TO INITIALLY ENTER THE INTERIOR OF THE CARTON WITH THE FLAT BLADE IN A HORIZONTAL ATTITUDE. THE BLADE CAM FOLLOWER LEAVES THE LINEAR CAM SURFACE WHEN THE BLADE REACHES THE TERMINAL END OF ITS OUTWARD STROKE. AT THIS POINT THE TORSIONAL BIASING FORCE IS EFFECTIVE TO ROTATE THE BLADE ABOUT 90* WHICH OPENS AND PARTIALLY ERECTS THE COLLAPSED CARTON. ON THE INWARD STROKE, THE BLADE CAM FOLLOWER RIDES OVER A NON-LINEAR CAM SURFACE WHICH IS OPERATIVE TO ROTATE THE BLADE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE TORSIONAL BIASING FORCE. NEAR THE INNER END OF THE RECIPROCATING STROKE, THE CAM FOLLOWER IS REPOSITIONED ON THE LINEAR CAM SURFACE WITH THE BLADE AGAIN ASSUMING A HORIZONTAL ATTITUDE AND BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE PARTIALLY ERECTED CARTON. THE CYCLE IS THEN REPEATED SEQUENTIALLY AS EACH SUCCESSIVE FOLDED AND COLLAPSED CARTON IS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE RECIPROCATING BLADE.

Sept. 21, 1971 R. w. ALLEN 3,606,823

APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND PARTIALLY ERECTING FOLDED AND COLLAPSE!) CARTONS Filed April 20, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 H FIG.1

INVIi/VH'R. RUSSELL W. ALLEN ATTORN EYS p 21, 1971 R. w. ALLEN 3,606,823

. APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND PARTIALLY ERECT'ING I FOLDED AND GOLLAPSED CARTONS Filed April 20, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VIZN'IUR. RUSSELL I W. ALLEN ATTORNEY spt. 21,1911 R. w. ALLEN 3,606,823

APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND PARTIALLY ERECTING FOLDED AND COLLAPSE!) CARTONS Filed A ril 20, 1970 4'Sheets-Sheet 4 INVIiN'I ()R. RUSSELL W. ALLEN ATTORNEYS United States Patent O APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND PAR- TIALLY ERECTIN G FOLDED AND COLLAPSED CARTONS Russell W. Allen, Pompton Plains, N.J., assignor to Container Equipment Corporation, Bloomfield, NJ. Filed Apr. 20, 1970, Ser. No. 29,939 Int. Cl. B31b 1/78 US. Cl. 93-53R 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flat blade element is reciprocated into and out of folded, collapsed cartons positioned endwise relative to the forward end of the blade element. The blade, in addition to reciprocation, is adapted to rotate selectively about a longitudinal axis under the influence of a torsional biasing force and a cam follower. The cam follower rides over a linear cam surface on the outward stroke of the blade to initially enter the interior of the carton with the flat blade in a horizontal attitude. The blade cam follower leaves the linear cam surface when the blade reaches the terminal end of its outward stroke. At this point the torsional biasing force is effective to rotate the blade about 90 which opens and partially erects the collapsed carton. On the inward stroke, the blade cam follower rides over .a non-linear cam surface which is operative to rotate the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to carton opening and erecting mechanisms and more particularly is directed to a single reciprocating blade mechanism for initially opening and thence partially erecting folded and collapsed cartons.

Paperboard cartons are conventionally rectangular parallelepipeds having front and back panels, side panels and top and bottom major and minor flaps. The carton is initially formed from flat blanks having the panels and flaps defined therein by suitable slits and score lines. The flat blank is then folded along the transverse score lines into a rectangular tubular configuration, with the free transverse edge of a side panel being joined to the free transverse edge of a front or back panel as the case may be. This joint may be taped or, more conventionally, one of the free edges being joined is formed in the blank with a narrow flap which is glued over the surface of the panel to which it is joined. Once formed, the tubular carton is flattened such that the front panel and an adjacent side panel overlie the next adjacent back panel and side panel. The top and bottom major flaps (those extending from the front and back panels), and the top and bottom minor flaps (those extending from the side panels), similarly assume the same overlying relationships at the respective ends of the folded and collapsed carton.

When the cartons are to be filled with the goods to be packaged, a vertical stack of such folded and collapsed cartons is placed in a carton hopper of a carton handling and packaging machine for sequential delivery therefrom. The collapsed cartons thus fed are carried forward on suitable supporting structure first to a carton opening device and then to a series of carton erecting devices where the carton is progressively formed into a rectangular configuration. The bottom major and minor flaps are suitably folded and sealed, the goods to be packaged are 3,606,823 Patented Sept. 21, 1971 inserted and finally, the top major and minor flaps are folded over and sealed. Each of the foregoing steps is conventionally carried out progressively as the carton blanks continuously or intermittently move longitudinally through the carton handling and packaging machine.

It is to the initial opening and thence erection of the cartons that the apparatus of the present invention is directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, apparatus for initially opening and thence partially erecting folded and collapsed cartons as the cartons are positioned in endwise relationship to the apparatus comprises a reciprocatable flat blade element moveable in a direction transverse to the cartons positioned adjacent the end of the blade element. The blade element is normally biased by a torsional force to urge the blade to rotate about a longitudinal axis. A first cam means reciprocates the flat blade element into and out of the interior of the cartons while a second cam means maintains the fiat blade element in a horizontal, longitudinal plane as the blade element enters the cartons and permits the blade element to rotate about into a vertical, longitudinal plane under the influence of the torsional biasing force when the blade element reaches its furthest penetration into the cartons. The second cam means also maintains the flat blade element in a vertical, longitudinal plane as the blade element is partially withdrawn from the cartons and rerotates the flat blade element about 90 in the opposite direction urged by the torsional biasing means to reposition the flat blade element in a horizontal, longitudinal plane by the time it reaches complete withdrawal from the interior of the cartons.

These and other features, components, and advantages of the apparatus of the present invention will be even more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view shown partly in cross section and with parts broken away for clarity of the apparatus of the present invention with the reciprocatable blade at the inner end of the reciprocating stroke;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but shows the reciprocatable blade at the terminal end of the outward stroke;

FIG. 3 is an end clevational view taken approximately along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an overall schematic view of the cam mechanism by which the blade element is reciprocated;

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of the cam mechanism by which the blade element is rotated alternately from a horizontal, longitudinal plane to a vertical, longitudinal plane as the blade element is reciprocated; and

FIGS. 6a through 6c are perspective views showing successive stages of penetration by the reciprocating and rotatable blade into the interior of a folded and collapsed carton, first to open the carton by penetration and thence to erect or partially erect the carton by limited rotation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now first to FIGS. 13, the carton erecting an opening device, generally designated by the numeral 10, includes a reciprocatable flat blade element 12 fixed to one end of a shaft 14 mounted for rotation in an axial bore 16 extending through a carrier 18. The carrier 18 is supported in slidable engagement upon a pair of vertically spaced guide rails 20 and 22 each suitably secured adjacent each end in frame members 24 and 26.

A biasing force urging rotation of the rotatable shaft 14 and thereby also the flat blade element 12 secured thereto, is imparted by a helical spring under torsional stress fixed at one end to the circumferential surface of the rotatable shaft and fixed at the other end to the carrier 18. Traversing the axial bore 16 in the carrier 18 is a slot 29 which accommodates a collar 30 fixed for rotation with the rotatable shaft 14 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Extending perpendicularly from the collar 30 is a stub shaft 32 having mounted for rotation adjacent its outer end a cam follower 34.

Spaced from the carrier 18 and adapted to engage the cam follower 34 is a cam guide 36 secured to a frame member 38. The cam guide 36 presents two cam surfaces 40 and 42, one for engaging the cam follower 34 on the outward stroke of the carrier 18 and the other for engaging the cam follower 34 on the inward stroke of the carrier 18. The first cam surface 40 is linear and is presented by three components of the cam guide 36; an initial segment 44, a medial pivotal segment 46, and a terminal segment 48. The pivotal segment 46 is pivotally fixed at its base between the initial and terminal segments 44 and 48. A compression spring detent fixed in frame member 52 spaced laterally of the pivotal segment 46 normally biases the pivotal segment 46 into a vertical attitude such that its cam surface 40 is in axial alignment with the cam surfaces 40 of the inittial and terminal segments 44 and 48 (FIG. 3.).

The terminal section 48 of the cam guide 36 stops short oft he end of the outward stroke of the carrier 18 such that the cam follower 34 disengages the cam surface 40 of the guide 36 just prior to the end of the outward stroke. With the cam follower 34 being free of the cam surface 40, the rotatable shaft 14 and the blade 12 secured thereto are free to rotate under the biasing force of the spring 28. The cam follower 34 is thus rotated downwardly until it engages the second cam surface 42. The initial portion of the second cam surface 42 (i.e., that portion spaced laterally of the terminal segment 48 of the cam guide 36 and which extends for approximately an equal distance) is disposed vertically and accordingly, the blade 12 is rotated about 90 along a longitudinal axis also into a vertical attitude when the carrier 18 reaches the end of its outward stroke.

The portion of the second cam surface 42 that is adjacent to the medial pivotal section 46 and which extends for about the same distance presents a non-linear surface that gradually curves upwardly and laterally towards the first cam surface 40 finally intersecting and merging with the first cam surface 40 at the distal end of the initial segment 44 (FIG. 5).

Thus, as the cam follower 34 is engaged by the initial portion of the second cam surface 42 during the inward stroke of the carrier 18, the blade 12 is maintained in the same vertical longitudinal attitude it assumed at the end of the preceding outward stroke. When engaged by the non-linear portion of the cam surface 42 during the inward stroke, the cam follower 34 is moved upwardly and laterally thereby rotating the shaft 14 and the blade 12 secured thereto against the biasing force of the spring 28. Because the cam surface 42 has a lateral component towards the pivotal segment 46, the top segment of the cam follower 34 engages the inner surface of the pivotal segment 46 causing it to pivot outwardly against the biasing force of the compression spring detent 50 thus presenting an opening to permit the cam follower 34 to reengage the cam surface 40 on the initial segment 44 of the cam guide 36. When the cam follower 34 reaches the initial segment 44 of the cam guide 36 at the end of the inner stroke of the carrier 18, it has disengaged the pivotal segment 46 permitting the biasing force of the compression spring detent 50 to realign its cam surface 40 with the cam surfaces 40 of the initial and terminal segments 44 and 48. Further, the upward and lateral movement of the cam follower 34 onto the cam surface 40 of the initial segment 44 has caused the shaft 14 to rotate through an angle of about 90 thus repositioning the blade 12 secured to the end of the shaft 14 in a horizontal, longitudinal attitude ready to repeat again the outward stroke of the carrier 18 with the cam follower 34 in engagement with the cam surfaces 40 of the initial cam segment 44, the medial pivotal cam section 46, and the terminal cam section 48.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, reciprocating outward and inward strokes are imparted to the carrier 18 and thereby also the flat blade element 12 by a cam and linkage mechanism 60. The carrier 18 is provided with a vertically disposed downward extension 62 which is forked at its lower end to receive pivotally one end of a linkage bar 64. A C-shaped lever 68 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a fulcrum pin secured adjacent each end in a machine frame member 66. The upper extension 69 of the C-shaped lever 68 is pivotally engaged with the other end of the linkage bar 64 and the lower extension 70 of the C-shaped lever 68 is pivotally connected at its end to the upper end of a second linkage bar 72. Positioned at right angles to the C'shaped lever 68 is another lever 74 pivoted at one end on a shaft 76 mounted crosswise in the machine frame 66. The other end of the lever 74 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the linkage bar 72. Intermediate the ends of the lever 74 is a cam follower 78 mounted for rotation on a pin 80 extending at right angles from the lever 74. The cam follower 78 rides in an eccentric cam track 82 presented on the face of a cam Wheel 84 keyed for r0- tation on a rotatable shaft 86 suitably journaled for rotation adjacent each end in a machine frame member (not shown). Shaft 86 is driven at an appropriate angular velocity by a main drive train (not shown) that also drives the other components of the carton handling and packaging machine so that the reciprocation of the carrier 1-8 and thereby also the blade 12 is in proper timed relationship to the sequential delivery of cartons to the opening and erecting station.

Now, in operation, as the shaft 86 is driven, the cam wheel 84 rotates with the eccentric cam track 82 operative to raise and lower the lever 74 which, through the linkage bar 72, is effective to pivot the C-shaped lever '68 about its fulcrum pin 65. As the C-shaped lever 68 is pivoted, the upper extension 69 thereof moves in a direction from left to right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 pulling with it via the linkage bar 64, the downward extension 62 of the carrier 18.

After that portion of the cam track 82 that causes the lever 74 to raise upwardly has been traversed by the cam follower 78 there is a short section of the cam track that causes the lever to dwell momentarily in its uppermost position which in turn causes the carrier 18 and the blade 12 carried thereby to also dwell momentarily at the outer end of its outward stroke. Then the lever 74 is caused to fall downwardly as the cam follower 78 travels through the next section of the eccentric cam track 82 until it returns to its lowermost position where it remains for a substantial portion of each rotation of the cam wheel 84. As the lever 74 is lowered by the cam wheel, the linkages described above push the downward extension 62 of the carrier 18 from right to left as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2 causing the carrier 18 and the flat blade element 12 to move on an inward stroke. With the lever 74 in its lowermost position, the carrier 18 and the blade element remain motionless at the innermost position of their inward stroke for a time period slightly longer than it takes to make one half revolution of the cam wheel 84 (FIG. 4). This relatively longer dwell of the blade 12 at its innermost position permits other conventional carton machine elements to carry away the just erected carton for further processing and to position the next successive folded and collapsed carton adjacent the end of the blade 12 before the blade begins its next outward stroke.

In FIGS. 60 through 60, a folded and collapsed carton blank 88 is shown being opened and erected by the reciprocatable and rotatable blade 12 during the outward stroke of its reciprocation. The blank 88 is delivered in endwise relationship to a position adjacent the end of the blade 12. That is to say, the carton blank is aligned with one of its open edges (the edge presenting the minor and major flaps) positioned perpendicularly and horizontally to the longitudinal axis of the blade 12 when the blade is momentarily stationary at its innermost position of the outward stroke. Conventional guides (not shown) are employed to separate the flaps presented to the blade 12 by folding the major back flap 89 downwardly and the minor flaps 90 and 91 and the major front flap 92 upwardly. The flat blade 12 then first enters the carton 88 between the overlying side panel and the underlying back panel. Throughout the outward stroke, the cam follower 34 is engaged by the first cam surface 40' of the cam guide 36, thus maintaining the flat blade in a horizontal, longitudinal attitude merely to initiate separation of the superimposed panels of the carton 88.

In addition to initially opening the carton 88, the blade 12 is also operative to hold the carton firmly against supporting guide rails 94 and 95 of the carton packaging and handling machine (FIGS. 1 and 2). The guide rails 94 and 95 are located relative to the under surface of the flat blade 12 such that the bottom side of the blade as it enters the carton on its outward stroke, exerts a holddown force on the lower panel against the rails 94 and 95.

The blade then continues its penetration into the carton on the outward stroke maintaining its horizontal, longitudinal attitude until the cam follower 34 disengages the cam surface 40 which occurs just as the blade 12 has reached its furthest point of penetration into the carton 88. Then under the influence of the biasing spring 28, the blade 12 is rotated sharply through an angle of about 90 with the cam follower 34 now engaging the second surface 42 of the cam guide 36. The rapid rotation of the blade 12 into a vertical longitudinal attitude pivots the side panel of the carton 88 away from the inner surface of the back panel causing the previously collapsed and folded carton to assume more nearly its opened, parallelepiped configuration (FIG. 6c).

Once opening the cartons 88, the blade 12 in its vertical, longitudinal attitude begins its inward stroke, the lower edge of the now verticalized blade serving to hold the opened carton against the guide rails 94 and 95 (FIG. 2) as the blade is withdrawn from the carton. The first portion of the cam surface 42 being vertical, the blade 12 is maintained in its vertical, longitudinal attitude during a portion of its Withdraw from the interior of the opened carton. Then the next non-linear portion of the cam surface 42 is operative to move the cam follower 34 laterally and unwardly in the manner described earlier to rotate the blade 12 against the force exerted by the biasing spring 20 to reposition the blade 12 in a horizontal, longitudinal attitude by the time the carrier 18 and the blade 12 reach the innermost end of their inward stroke. With the blade 12 thus completely withdrawn from the interior of the opened and at least partially erected carton 88, conventional pusher elements (not shown) engage the carton and deliver it downstream for further processing. At the same time, the next succeeding folded and collapsed carton 88 is delivered to a position adjacent the end of the blade 12 and the above described cycle is repeated successively as each carton is delivered to the opening and erecting station.

From the above, it is apparent that I have provided a novel apparatus wherein the initial opening and erecting of folded and collapsed cartons is accomplished by a single flat blade mechanism capable of both reciprocating motion and selective rotary motion. During each single cycle of reciprocation a folded and collapsed carton blank is both opened and partially erected eliminating the need for providing separate devices for performing these functions as has been the practice heretofore.

While -I have described what is believed to be a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, it is apparent that many changes, modifications,

alterations, and relationships of the parts can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for initially opening and thence partially erecting folded and collapsed cartons as said cartons are sequentially and intermittently positioned in endwise relationship adjacent thereto, said apparatus comprising:

(a) a reciprocatable flat blade element moveable in a direction transverse to said cartons positioned adjacent the end of said blade element;

(b) biasing means for normally urging said blade element to rotate about a longitudinal axis;

(c) a first cam means for reciprocating said fiat blade element into and out of the interior of said cartons; and

(d) a second cam means;

(1) for maintaining said flat blade element in a horizontal, longitudinal plane as said flat blade element enters said cartons and for permitting said fiat blade element to rotate about into a vertical, longitudinal plane under the influence of said biasing means when said blade element reaches its furthest penetration into said cartons; and

(2) for maintaining said flat blade element in said vertical, longitudinal plane as said flat blade element is partially withdrawn from said cartons and for rerotating said fiat blade element about 90 in the opposite direction of rotation urged by said biasing means to reposition said fiat blade element in a horizontal, longitudinal plane by the time it reaches complete withdrawal from the interior of said cartons.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first cam means includes a cam Wheel having an eccentric cam track in one face thereof, a lever pivotally fixed at one end, a cam follower mounted for rotation on a pin positioned intermediate the ends of said lever and extending perpendicularly therefrom, said cam follower being in engagement with said eccentric cam track whereby the free end of said lever is caused to rise and fall during each revolution of said cam wheel, and a linkage means interconnecting the free end of said lever and said carrier whereby said carrier is caused to reciprocate outwardly and inwardly during each revolution of said cam wheel.

3. Apparatus according to claim '2 wherein said eccentric cam track has one portion causing the free end of said lever to dwell at its lowermost position for a period slightly longer than the time required for said cam wheel to make one-half of a revolution, and another portion causing the free end of said lever to dwell at its uppermost position for a period substantially less than the time the free end of said lever dwells at its lowermost position.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said flat blade element is secured in axial alignment on the end of a first shaft mounted for rotation in a reciprocatable carrier, said carrier being supported in slidable engagement on a carrier guide extending in axial alignment with said blade element and said first shaft, and wherein said biasing means is a helical spring under torsional stress fixed at one end to the circumferential surface of said first shaft and fixed at the other end to said carrier.

5'. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said second cam means includes a cam follower mounted for rotation at the end of a second shaft extending perpendicularly from said first shaft; a first linear cam surface extending horizontally in alignment with said first shaft for engaging said cam follower during all but the terminal portion of the outward stroke of said reciprocatable carrier; a second nonlinear cam surface for engaging said cam follower during the inward stroke of said reciprocatable carrier, the non-linear cam surface causing said cam follower to travel a path so as to rotate said first shaft against the biasing force of said spring and to return said cam follower to said first linear cam surface by the time said reciprocatable carrier has reached the inner end of its inward stroke.

'6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said cam follower disengages said first linear cam surface near the terminal end of the outward stroke of said reciprocatable carrier whereby said first shaft and said blade element secured thereto are rotatable about 90 along a longitudinal axis under the biasing force exerted by said spring.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said second non-linear cam surface and said first linear cam surface intersect and merge at a point intermediate the ends of said first linear cam surface.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said first linear cam surface includes a moveable segment intermediate its ends, said moveable segment being normally biased into alignment with the initial and terminal portions of said first linear cam surface whereby said cam follower rides over said moveable segment on the outward stroke of said reciprocatable carrier and said cam follower is operative to move said moveable segment out of alignment with said initial and terminal sections of said first cam surface when said cam follower is engaged by said second non-linear cam surface on the inward stroke of said reciprocatable carrier, thereby permitting said cam follower to return from said second non-linear cam surface to the initial segment of said first linear cam surface before the reciprocatable carrier reaches the inner end of its inward stroke.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said moveable segment is pivotally mounted adjacent its base and is biased into alignment with the initial and terminal sections of said first linear cam surface by a compression spring detent in engagement with the outside lateral surface of said segment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,057,267 10/1962 Johnson 93-53 3,080,797 3/1963 Cook 9353 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner 

